Proposed Legislation Would Prohibit Immigration Officials From Posing as Police

As the Trump administration escalates its attacks on immigrant communities across the state, a bill introduced in Congress last week could prohibit immigration officials from posing as local law enforcement.

Under the bill, officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection are barred from wearing clothing that bears the word police. State Rep. Mike Thompson, who co-authored the bill with Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-New York, said the goal of the legislation is to ease mistrust of local police among immigrant families.

“When immigrant communities see ‘police’ on an ICE individual’s uniform … it creates problems. It puts people at risk,” Thompson told KQED. “If there’s an immigrant who is a victim of a crime, they’re reluctant to report it. If the police are trying to question an immigrant that’s a witness to a crime, they’re reluctant to get involved.”

According to the National Immigrant Justice Center, immigration enforcement will often introduce themselves as police officers even though they are not legally considered to be so. The resulting confusion can be detrimental to public safety, Thompson argued.

When people are unsure of whether a police officer is actually an immigration official, it sours the relationship between local law enforcement and the communities they’re supposed to serve, he said. By prohibiting ICE agents and other officials from wearing uniforms that say ‘police,’ the trust between police officers and community members can be rebuilt.

Tensions between state residents and immigration enforcement have grown over the last few weeks as President Donald Trump continues his calls for the mass deportation of undocumented people.

When widespread protests against federal immigration raids broke out last week, Trump responded by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles. The result: fear, panic and a lawsuit filed by Gov. Gavin Newsom against Trump for what he alleges to be the president’s unconstitutional actions.

On Thursday, a judge ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority by seizing the state’s National Guard without notifying the governor. Hours later, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision and scheduled a follow-up hearing for next week.

“Immigrant communities live in fear of one day being deported and never seeing their family members again,” Velázquez said in a statement.

“While we resist the threat of raids and mass deportations, it’s equally important to curb actions that fuel distrust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, like ICE agents posing as local police officers.”

Similar legislation has been introduced in Congress before. In 2022, Sen. Corey Booker, D-New Jersey, worked with Velázquez on a bill with language identical to Thompson and Velázquez’s. The most recent bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on June 6.

The Trump “administration has squarely taken aim at immigrant communities,” Thompson said. “We need to build an interest in passing something like this, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to do that.”

KQED’s Riley Palmer contributed to this report.